Poochie's Park — Attraction in Fruit Cove

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Kophamer

Your Poochies Dog Park is an enchanting location. My female Malinois (Lee Loo) enjoyed her interaction with most of the friends that she made in the park, with few rather violent exceptions. Lee Loo was able to learn that special dog language and social skills very well. For this, I thank you so much. Lee Loo would not be the friendly Malinois whom she is today, if it was not for Poochies. Thank you.

As you must know, I have tried to reach out to you with many concerns at your weekly meeting. My request was denied and I am not confident in your management team. Self admitted, your managers freely admit that they have no formal training.

Having offered you this opportunity to hear my voice and denied, I want to share my experience with the Google Review community.

January 2024 - Lee Loo was attacked by three dogs as we entered the park (unleashed) through the second gate. Lee Loo knows no violent behavior and turned to me to defend her. I did. One dog drew blood and left a puncture wound. It was difficult to find until the wound scabbed over because of the thick winter hair around her neck. This was the last time Lee Loo would visit your park.

When making suggestions for a positive experience at your dog park, to include purchasing an ID card machine for you, your management team returned a lot of lip-service.

My own personal observations in your dog park include, two elderly men communicating words and actions of bodily harm toward each other; a woman and her mother with three dogs and only one dog registered; in-tact male dogs; aggressive and violent dog behavior not controlled; a disparity and false communication to me from your management team and your maintenance team with respect to how the lake is treated; members who use one access key and bring guests and their dogs into the park; one guest who mentioned just how easy it is to cheat your park access system by duplicating keys; your park is sometimes used as a dog drop-off while the pet parent runs some errands; and conversations with your maintenance staff and the dog attacks that they have had to contend with.

As for third-party conversations - I believe that it is common knowledge that one member was bitten and required sutures for her wound. A man by the name of John, whom I met at another dog park, told me that his dog (in self defense) bit another dog which resulted in John having to pay for that treatment. Lee Loo played with John’s dog without any aggression and enjoyed the experience. Continuing my thoughts, at other dog parks I begin my conversations with, “Lee Loo and I used to go to Poochies…” Some of the responses might be for you and I to discuss alone and not in this forum.

To the Google community. Anytime a dog bites another dog or a human, and draws blood, please file a report with the PSA or Sheriff. Keep your friendly dog away from aggressive dog behavior as it is a learned behavior. Ask this one question at any dog park, “Is your dog friendly”? Keep a witness close by whenever possible.

May God Bless you all. And remember to always be the good dog parent that your dog...

We visited Poochie's Park for the first time during their annual Dog Jog.

We enjoyed the dog jog itself. It was extremely organized and there were many volunteers to help us around the route. We were able to walk and/or jog, just to keep in mind to be courteous of others who are jogging with their dogs. It was a paid event and with the entry fee, we received a metal at the end of the jog, a t-shirt to wear, if we wanted, during the jog and entry into the park.

The park itself is extremely beautiful. It seemed like everyone picked up after their dogs for the most part. They have trash cans and clean up stations around the park and there are multiple sections to the park. The main section has a huge pond/lake where the dogs can swim and run around. On one side of the water, there is a stage, where they will sometimes have live music (this was used during the dog jog). Surrounding the rest of the water, there were chairs, benches, trash bins, etc.

At first there weren't too many dogs and it was pretty "calm", but as the morning went on, it got a little busy, but not quite crowded. The busier it became, it seemed like less people were watching their dogs. There was one instance where a dog t-boned my dog (enough to where I hear the collision from my dog's chest), when I looked around for the owner, there wasn't anyone who really reacted -- unfortunately, the risk we run coming to a dog park. Another instance, which was much more controllable was this high strung pup who continuously chased and barked at my dog. It was extremely clear that my dog did not want to play with this dog and I had to pull him off my dog multiple times and distract my dog to another area of the main park. There was no owner around to take control of their dog and he kept coming back barking and snarling at my dog.

There is a small dog area as well, which has its own splash pad. You can get to the small park in more than one area (once at the main entrance and one at the back of the bigger park). There is also a trail you can walk around the clinic (it's short) and it will lead you back towards the "field" where there is plenty of space to play fetch or for your dog to run around. They have many ball launchers and balls you could use (they typically kept them in a bucket by the gate that lets you into the field. There are rules to the field and there are chairs and picnic tables set up. They ask that you keep your dog's barking to a minimum because it backs up against a neighborhood.

There are restrooms on the outside of the clinic -- it was fairly clean.

To summarize, it's a nice park and the only negative thing I have to say about it is the people that were there the day I visited and the lack of discipline they were showing with their dogs. I think they have wonderful opportunities and events, but they could get out of hand with the lack of supervision and enforcement.

I don't see myself coming back soon as I'm about 45-50 minutes away, but could see myself returning next year for another dog jog, I just won't...

We love this dog park! It is a paid membership, but well worth it. They offer various types of passes: daily, monthly, annually, and more. They offer discounts during various times of the year and to various professions. All dogs in the dog park must be up to date on their shots, which is a sigh of relief compared to visiting a public dog park. They dog park has grown a lot in the past few months. The whole dog park is fenced in.

Main Area: The main area has a nice pond, a large mound with tunnels for dogs to climb on/through (pictures), and running area for dogs. Tennis balls and poop bags are provided. There are seats provided for humans.

Small dog area: The small dog area has some small climbing things and large area to run. They just built a new splash pad for the small dogs.

Nature Trail: The Nature trail is a nice, wooded trail that wraps around the back of the Poochie’s building. This is a leash-free fenced in trail for dogs to explore.

Dog Yard: At the end of the dog trail, they recently cleared a large area. This is now home to the grassy yard where dogs can run and play. This is a large open space with minimal foliage. Ideal area to play frisbee with your dog.

Dog Wash Areas: There are two areas where you can rinse off your dog. One at the back of the main Dog Park area and one between the Nature Trail and Dog Park area. I’ve seen people bring shampoo and just wash their dogs as they leave the dog park. Sounds like a great idea!

Clientele: Generally, most people and dogs who I have met at this dog park are very friendly. Clientele have varying tolerance for the dog park etiquette. Most of us enjoy watching our dogs play with other dogs and if conflict breaks out, owners generally jump in to help. Occasionally, you might run into a “bad apple” who doesn’t want their dog to play with other dogs or the owner does not take responsibility for their dogs actions. HOWEVER, Poochie’s does an amazing job in responding when necessary. We had conflict (no injuries) with a dog and the owner was no where to be found. I reported the instance to the Poochie’s office who promptly found the owner and handled the situation.

We have not used Poochie’s veterinary, grooming, daycare, or adoption services at this point in time. Based on my amazing experiences with the dog park, I would definitely consider them also!

I will have to add more pictures the next time...